10 Tips for surviving first year of University

1) Ensure that you do in depth research about your university, your course and the area that you will be living in. This is so important, as if you fail to do so you may not enjoy your course or the University. If you want a more city lifestyle – then London would be more suited. If you chose, for example in Colchester, it’s much more rural, so would suit students who prefer this.

2) Make sure that you book your accommodation early to ensure that you can settle in ASAP. I did enjoy staying on campus in first year as it was much more convenient. I chose the quieter ‘more expensive’ flats whereas some of mine stayed in the cheaper ‘party’ flats – but said they socialised a lot and made a strong connection of friends.

3) Start buying home bits for your room early. You will need items such as: bedding, toiletries, kitchen appliances, sponges, towels and so forth. A good place to get the small bits is Wilkonson’s or online. I recommend buying some food that you can quickly grab in case that you are running low.

4) Have a comfortable notepad, which contains good quality paper and is in a large quantity. This will be the most important item that you can have at University. When writing your notes, re-read them after every lecture and/or rewrite them to look neater. Some people prefer a laptop, however I preferred the more traditional approach as I found that I store it a lot more and don’t get distracted… Oh and a nice bag that can fit this in and also the capacity to store a large amount of books!

5) Go to every lecture, unless it is absolutely impossible. This helps you to understand the material, but also to stay on track and be organised.

6) Do your reading on the list every week! This will truly help you to understand the material and will. be so beneficial for second and third year.

7) If you have any questions… ask! Whether its peer or lecturers ensure you ask, and I’m sure they will be able to answer for you.

8) Most students have the view that ‘I don’t care about first year, as it doesn’t count’. This is the wrong approach, as I’ve learnt from experience that although it doesn’t physically goes towards your grade, it makes a huge difference for your modules in second and third year, so is important in the long run.

9) Remember that you do get holidays, so you can visit your friends and family where you are free.

10) Although you need to be focusing on your studies, when the work Is done, don’t forget to let your hair down, socialise and go out. This is the year for settling into a new accommodation, studies and friendship groups. I’m not going to lie you may feel homesick at first and a little in the deep end, but once you settle in it will soon be like a second home.